Why Chris Klieman wants a ‘plug-and-play’ mentality for Kansas State at running back
Anyone who watched DJ Giddens tote the ball for Kansas State last season knows the junior running back is capable of handling a massive workload.
Case in point: He carried the Wildcats to a 44-31 victory over UCF by amassing 293 yards of total offense and scoring four touchdowns on a whopping 38 touches. K-State had 82 plays that day and Giddens was the focal point on almost half of them.
Impressive as that was, head coach Chris Klieman doesn’t want it to happen again. Even with Giddens back and fresh off a 1,200-yard campaign, Klieman would rather get more running backs involved this season.
“We would like to,” Klieman said. “Everybody knows that DJ is going to be the guy to have the most carries. DJ is a great player and we have done a nice job of giving him the reps that he needs. But now we are kind of shelving him a little bit, because we need DJ fresh for the long haul of the season.
“We need to continue to see where Joe Jackson and La’James White are at, because they’ve been in the program quite a while and so has Evan Cantu. We need to get those guys reps to see what they can handle as an every-down back. And then, obviously, see different areas that we can put Dylan Edwards in and not throw everything at him right away.”
There have been exceptions here and there, but Klieman has historically tried to get the ball to as many different running backs as possible.
Even when Deuce Vaughn was on top of the depth chart, the Wildcats found ways to get other running backs involved. Why? Because Klieman would rather rotate between multiple fresh ball-carriers than one workhorse. It’s his way of getting the best out of all of them, and limiting their risk to injury.
Such a strategy wasn’t always possible last season, but Treshaun Ward did manage to gain 643 yards and score five touchdowns on 124 carries.
This season, Klieman is picturing a more diverse position. And he should.
Edwards has added a wide variety of skills to the offense now that he has transferred in from Colorado. The Wildcats can easily throw the ball to him out of the backfield or use him as a traditional runner. Klieman considers him “a home run threat” on every play.
“He’s got that burst,” Klieman said. “He looks like he has been shot out of a cannon at times. You see him and he’s just got those quick feet and that burst through the hole. He’s still learning the offense. There’s a lot of offense to learn, and we’re trying to spoon feed him a little bit so that he can pick up as much as he can.”
Jackson has been receiving strong reviews at training camp. White has shown off his speed, and Cantu is also capable.
They could all help Giddens this season.
“We’ve got some good guys at running back,” Klieman said. “It’s just a matter of plug and play based on what the game plan is and the skill sets that the guys have.”